The Sun Still Rises
by Comycat1987
Summary: You had broken the barrier. Everything was okay. But the consequences of your actions come to haunt you in dreams, and you can't handle the burden alone. Luckily, the Great Papyrus is there to help you, and you find out he may be just as secretive as his brother. (Reader insert, slight Reader/Papyrus. May continue if it gets enough attention/ I have the time and motivation.)


**I was asked to write a reader insert thingy, so here ya go. This is my first time doing something like this, so I have no idea how it will turn out.**

 **I was partly inspired by the vocal cover of Battle against a true hero by Jenny. It's beautiful and fits Undyne very well. I recommend giving it a listen! I know the nightmare part is not original in the slightest, though… oh well, a suggestion is a suggestion, right? Hopefully I gave it a spin that makes it worthwhile.**

 **I don't own Undertale. Warning: blood, slightly graphic situations, slight hinting to suicide, and lots and lots of feelz. Continue with caution.**

* * *

" _you killed me."_

 _Papyrus stood in front of you. You were back in snowdin, but the town was covered in dust._

 _His armor was covered in bloodstains, and a deep gash ran across his chest._

 _You felt yourself shaking and hot tears crept down your face._

" _N-n-no, P-paps, I didn't… it wasn't me… I never meant too…"_

" _yes you did. You are the demon that comes when it's name is called. You killed us all." He didn't sound like Papyrus- he sounded cold and hollow and…_

 _Dead._

" _I'm… I'm so Sorry!" You sob into your hands, feeling an unreal pain in your chest._

 _You gasp as he raises a bone to his throat, face covered by a warped smile._

" _Guess I'll never be in the Royal guard, eh?"_

 _You tried to lunge forward, to stop him, anything, but your body was frozen as his arm fell and the bone sliced through his neck._

 _His head thumped in the snow, and faded to sparkling dust that scattered in the wind._

You shot up in your bed, gasping and heaving. You were covered in sweat and your heart pounded so hard against your ribs it was painful. Your face felt warm and wet from tears.

It took you a few moments to notice past the pressure in your head that you were in your room- safe.

But it wasn't you you were worried about.

You reached over and grabbed your phone. You fumbled with the device, desperately finding Papyrus's contact.

 _(Papyrus? U awake?)_

You text, trying to sound as casual as possible. A little part of your mind registered it was 3:45 am.

You were startled when the little contact bubble for Papyrus went over your text immediately, indicating he was active.

( _Yes. Why are you asking? Are you okay, human?)_

You sigh in relief, sitting back. Papyrus was okay.

Alive.

You felt a pain in your throat as you lean back forward, trying to text despite your vision blurring with tears. A few dropped onto the screen, but you ignored them.

 _(I'm okay. Just woke up and was wondering)_

 _(Why would you wake up this late? Is it a human custom? I thought humans needed plenty of rest, as us monsters do.)_

 _(Nah, it just happens sometimes. I'm fine.)_

 _(Are you sure human?)_

You felt a little warmth break through the pain in your chest.

 _(Yeah. I'm sorry to wake you up and bother you.)_

 _(No, human, you are never a bother.)_

 _(Anyone that texts you at 3 am is a bother, Pappy.)_

 _(Not you. Know you can tell the great Papyrus anything you need too, okay?)_

You smile at the picture attached to the text. It was the one with the poorly edited biceps pasted on his arms.

 _(Yeah, sure, lol.)_

You decide to return the favor by attaching a picture of your cat edited atop a sleeping Papyrus and a tiny Sans atop the cat.

He replied with a shocked emoji.

 _(Nyeh? Why is my brother riding that cat?! And why is it on me?)_

 _(He's the cat conqueror.)_

 _(That explains why he is lazy.)_

 _(He is one with the cats.)_

 _(Hold on human, Nyeh heh heh!)_

You waited a minute or so before Papyrus sent you a picture of a sleeping cat with Sans's face on it.

 _(Lol, OMG I can't tell the difference.)_

You attach a cat emoji followed by a skeleton just for fun.

 _(I know, right? The great Papyrus has once again made another Photoshop masterpiece!)_

 _(I'm gonna make one that's better!)_

 _(You can try, human!)_

 _(Challenge accepted.)_

You opened Google and found the fattest cat you could find and went to work on it. You and Papyrus began exchanging photos of Sans on cats. Eventually, you decided enough was enough for one night.

 _(Isn't Sans going to question why there is fifteen hundred pictures of him on cats sent at 4 in the morning?)_

 _(Nah, because I'm posting them to Facebook.)_

 _(Yessss lol.)_

 _(Well, I Believe you should go to bed human. It is late and we have a cooking session with Undyne tomorrow!)_

 _(…sure. I guess you're right.)_

 _(Okay, goodnight human. I shall see you tomorrow.)_

Papyrus attached a sleepy emoji to his text. You started texting goodnight back, but something flashed across your mind.

 _(Wait, Papyrus, why are you up?)_

You waited for a reply.

You never got one.

You sigh, realizing he must have went to bed.

 _(Goodnight, Papyrus.)_

You put your phone down and lay back down on your bed, feeling exhausted. But you knew you probably weren't getting sleep tonight.

Your little banter had distracted you from your nightmare. Now you were back in painful reality.

You killed them.

It was a few months since the barrier broke. You were staying with Toriel. Everyone had pretty much gotten situated in their new lives, and your duties as Ambassador had eased. The major fight for rights and freedom were over. There was still a long way to go, but progress had been made.

Mettaton helped smooth the transition. It was amazing how fast the humans became obsessed with him. He was a magnet in more ways than one.

Now that the fighting was over, you had more time to spend bonding with your friends. Watching anime with Alphys, baking with Toriel, training with Undyne, chilling with Sans…

Out of all your new friends, you found yourself spending more and more time with Papyrus. The flamboyant skeleton that had the biggest heart of any living creature ever to grace this earth.

He never failed to raise your spirits- and you often went to him when you were upset or overwhelmed or tired. He certainly didn't seem to mind.

Sans had begun looking at you in a funny way, though you couldn't understand why.

You sit up in your bed, wiping the sweat from your forehead. You had not had any nightmares in a long time. Why did you have one now?

You shook your head and got up, your feet making the floor creak. Might as well get a snack and some water. Toriel always left a slice of pie in the fridge for you.

Just for you.

…

"ALRIGHT PUNKS, TIME TO CUT THE VEGETABLES!"

You flinched at the volume in Undyne's voice. You were cooking stir-fry. So far, you had a whole chicken, a can of soda, and a sock (scandalous?!) In a pan. How that happened…

It was a long story.

Papyrus jumped up and down with excitement, his chef hat almost falling off. He had insisted you two wore matching chef hats. Yours was a bit too big, but it made Papyrus happy.

Papyrus happy made you happy.

Undyne ran over to her not hot fridge and pulled out broccoli, carrots and squash. You wondered if different vegetables should be used, but shook the thought off.

Undyne threw the vegetables sloppily onto the cutting board and tossed the bags off somewhere over the rainbow.

"OKAY, LET'S RAVAGE THESE POOR PLANTS!" Undyne screeched, summoning a magic spear and impaling the broccoli.

Poor broccoli.

Undyne stepped back, looking scarily amused.

"Your turn! I've gotta go stir the other stuff!"

Undyne dashed across to the stove with a ruthless look in her eye.

Didn't she learn from the first time she burnt down a house?

You and Papyrus stepped forward and started chopping the veggies the _correct_ way. Papyrus worked on the now beat up broccoli while you grabbed the carrots. Papyrus hummed _bonetrousle_ while he worked, the familiar tune making you smile.

Your smile faded as you gripped the handle of the kitchen knife. The eerily familiar action sent chills up your spine and made your heart race.

Your palm began sweating, and your breathing fastened involuntarily. Your heart was beating so hard it hurt, and there was a pressure in your head.

Suddenly, you weren't in the kitchen anymore. You were back in that golden hall, the sweet scent of flowers filling your nostrils and a shadow standing in front of you.

The dust was on your hands again.

"Human?"

Papyrus's frightened voice cut through your flashback, and you were back in the kitchen. You felt something warm on your finger and looked down to see deep red sliding down the digit. You had accidentally cut yourself.

Why didn't you feel the pain?

"Human, you've injured yourself! We must fix that immediately!"

You turned to Papyrus, feeling numb.

Papyrus ran to the sink and returned with a wet towel.

"Here human, let me see." Papyrus sounded different, his voice quiet and worried.

You felt a twinge of guilt for making him sound like that.

"I'm sorry Papyrus… I'm just clumsy, it's nothing major." You said. Papyrus wrapped the towel around your finger as Undyne walked over.

"Really, punk? Can we not trust you with a knife?"

You flinch back, pulling your hand away from Papyrus. Despite meaning something completely different, the wording had made the pain in your chest return and tears to sting your eyes.

Papyrus jumped a little as well. His eyes were wide and concerned.

"H-Human? Did I hurt you?"

You ignored him, looking down.

"I… I didn't…"

Undyne put her hands up, surprise written on her face.

"hey, hey, take it Easy! I was just saying! Great Asgore! Calm your tits! Hey, I have disinfecting stuff in the medicine cabinet somewhere, and bandages too. Feel free to go back and get them."

Undyne pointed to the door that lead to the rest of the house, and you followed Papyrus into the bathroom. Your stomach felt light in a bad way. You cursed at yourself for almost crying about something so stupid.

She didn't know.

Right?

You allowed Papyrus to clean and bandage the cut. He was much more gentler than you thought he would be, his touch feather light. He seemed scared that he would hurt you.

"Are you okay?" Papyrus asked. You pulled your hand away as he finished.

"ummm…. Yeah. Thank you Papyrus." You answered softly. You were still guilty to have worried him, but you felt a warmth in your chest anyways.

That happened a lot lately, you noted.

To your surprise, Papyrus didn't look appeased.

"Are… are you sure, human?"

You looked away, not able to look him in the face anymore.

"y-yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Before, when you cut yourself, you looked very…distant. And scared. I know you know to pay attention when you are using a dangerous tool. So something must be wrong. Remember I said you can tell the great Papyrus anything?"

You felt yourself shrink.

You hated lying to him. But where you worth making him worry?

No.

"Its fine, Paps, I'm just tired. That's all." You say.

Papyrus let out a worried sigh. It was an odd sound to come out of Papyrus.

"Okay. If you insist, human."

You smiled at him.

"Let's go keep cooking. If we leave Undyne alone any longer we'll have a cooked house."

To your relief, Papyrus smiled back.

"ah, you are right human. But I want you to sit the rest out, okay? If you are tired you shouldn't be cooking."

You opened your mouth to argue, but then gave into Papyrus's puppy eyes.

"Okay, Pappy."

"Then let's go!" You stepped aside and let Papyrus run past you, smiling slightly and his returned enthusiasm.

Much better.

You stayed behind, looking at your finger.

It throbbed now, but …

It felt good… like you deserved it.

You shuddered and left the bathroom.

Worried.

…

"Goodnight human!"

You were on Papyrus's and Sans's couch. You had come over for a sleepover, about a week and a half after the cooking 'lesson'.

Papyrus was wearing a red sweater and black shorts. He was still wearing his scarf, and it looked bigger without his armor on.

The couch smelled nice, and was not lumpy like their old one. Sans was out doing something, probably selling illegal hotdogs.

You smile tiredly at the tall skeleton.

"Goodnight, Papyrus."

Papyrus dashed up the stairs, and you heard his room shut a few seconds later.

Who else other than Papyrus would be excited for bed?

You wondered if he was mad about not getting a bedtime story. Then again, Mettaton's TV program was a story enough in its own.

You snuggle deeper into the blankets.

You had been having nightmares constantly until just two nights ago. You tired to avoid your friends until that point, afraid for another flashback.

That's what you told yourself, anyways.

You only agreed to the sleepover because you desperately missed Papyrus and you hadn't had a nightmare two nights in a row.

Now you were bone tired… no pun intended. It was hard keeping up with Papyrus missing a week of sleep, but you made it. And it was fun.

You closed your eyes. Enjoying the feeling of warmth and comfort.

All too soon, sleep claimed you.

 _The air smelled dusty and sweet. Golden petals flew through the room, landing upon a regal purple cloak. Gray dust swirled in the wind._

 _You stood over a familiar face._

 _Asriel._

 _Your heart started to thump wildly as you swung the knife. Once, twice, you kept going until all that was left of that crying face was torn pedals._

 _You took a step back, the knife falling from your hand._

 _What had you done?_

" _What do you think?"_

 _Your head snapped up at the chilly voice, your eyes meeting theirs._

 _Those red pits of death._

 _Chara stood in front of you, smiling. Pale skin looking almost transparent against the golden flowers._

 _You took another step back._

 _No._

 _Chara moved closer, their movements ghost-like._

 _This wasn't Chara. This wasn't the fallen child._

 _This was L.O.V.E._

" _HOW ABOUT WE DO IT AGAIN?"_

 _You turned to run, to run away from this monster, but you tripped over something._

 _Turning, you saw Papyrus's armor, scarf rippling slightly. Undyne guard armor, Sans's blue jacket, Toriel's cloak…_

 _You crawled away, unable to speak._

 _A laugh erupted from Chara's mouth._

 _Thick tears spilled from your eyes as the black engulfed the world, leaving you and the demon alone in a yawning void of black._

 _Chara raised her hand, knife in it. Her eyes went black as dark liquid began dripping from her mouth. The world began to shake._

" _THERE'S NOTHING LEFT FOR US HERE."_

 _And with a swing of a knife, the world broke and faded away._

Everything was spinning. You didn't know where you were, all that you could process was your heart slamming against your ribs and your head feeling like it was going to explode from the inside. You couldn't breath, and black framed your vision.

Most of all, were _scared._

You were scared and hurt and guilty.

You sat there, panting and trembling and unable to feel anything but intense fear.

You vaguely realized something touched your shoulder, but you didn't move.

Someone called your name, but it fell on deaf ears.

 _You just wanted it to end._

Suddenly everything was warm. You felt a pair of arms tight around you, and it felt like they were shaking- unless that was you shaking. You still didn't move, your chest hurting and your vision blurring.

"H-human? Human please… please breathe… please…" it was Papyrus, but the fact was lost on you at the moment.

You buried your head in his shoulder, taking short, gasping breaths as painful sobs wracked your body. A soft, painful keening sound came from Papyrus.

You reached up and grabbed his scarf, holding onto it for dear life.

"I'm… I'm so sorry…. I'm sorry…" You managed to say between sobs and gasps.

"I… I don't know what you are sorry for human, but please calm down… what's wrong?" Papyrus sounded so scared and unsure, and that made you feel even more guilty.

All you did was make them hurt and worry.

Those happy moments didn't matter when you killed every single one of them.

You killed them all without a second thought.

 _You were filled with L.O.V.E_

You wanted to pull away, but you ended up moving even closer.

Your grip on his scarf tightened. "P-Papyrus… I can't… I can't do this… not after..."

Papyrus's grip tightened.

"Human? What do you mean? Please talk to me…. I don't like seeing you like this…." His voice sounded heavy and choked.

You opened your mouth.

But you were filled with dread.

You couldn't tell him. Tell him everything you had done. All the monsters you had slain. Tell him you killed Undyne and Asgore and Sans.

Tell him that you killed him.

You closed your mouth and buried it in his sweater, the sobs becoming more painful.

It felt like your world was falling apart.

Maybe it was.

Papyrus shook you gently.

"Come on human. You need to tell me so I can help you! I… I…"

Papyrus trailed off.

"I'm sorry Papyrus… I hurt you…. I hurt everyone… I don't deserve to be here."

Papyrus stiffened slightly.

"What? What do you mean, human?"

The tears just kept coming, and your face felt hot and puffy.

"N….No…. I can't… I can't tell you…"

Papyrus took a shaking breath.

"Human… I don't know what you did… but it's okay. No matter what you did, I'll always… believe in you, human."

You flinch at his words, those haunting words. The exact same words he said before he turned to dust.

You would have thought those words would have made you cry harder, but your tears stopped. You were left trembling and panting.

"Its… it's not okay…" You say in a small, broken voice.

"Yes it is, human. Because I know you are a good person. You are a very good person, who would never hurt anyone intentionally. I've seen it. And the great Papyrus is a very good judge of character."

You shifted and rested your head on his chest. He was wearing a soft red sweater. You could hear a steady _thrum_ of magic moving through his bones. It was soothing, in a way.

You gradually calmed down, and now you were tired. Tired of Everything. Tired of the burden of your actions.

"Papyrus… please promise me…" You started shakily.

"Promise you what, human?"

"that… you won't be mad…" You closed you eyes. Idiot. He can't promise that. Not after what you had done.

"Yes, I promise. I am very bad at being mad, after all." Papyrus chuckled. You would have smiled if it were some other time.

"well… you know how you say Sans has some sort of weird power… over time? Well, I sort of have one too… I can SAVE and RESET. I can go up to a yellow star and SAVE there, then RESET back to that point. Time goes back to when I first saved at that point. Then I can also do a complete RESET, where I go back to when I first fell down."

Papyrus was silent. He seemed confused.

"We've made it out before paps… we made it once before but… there was someone left I had to save… I didn't want to leave him all alone, but when I reset… something happened… _Chara_ awoke and took over."

You leaned closer, shaking again.

"I… I lost control of my body and… I _killed._ I killed Toriel, I killed Undyne, I killed them all… I even… killed you… it was all because I wanted to save him, because I couldn't let go of one person. I hurt you all because I was too weak to fight back. I… I'm sorry… I…"

That was it. He hated you now. Right?

"shush human, that's enough. I… think I get it. But you have no reason to worry, human. You said you lost control and it wasn't you. I… this is coming as a shock to even me, the great Papyrus, but I think it is silly to blame yourself for having a big heart. You are the hero of the underground, after all. You should not blame yourself for another's actions. It must have been awful to go through all that, but-"

"But it _was_ me!" You interrupted, voice raising in volume. "the knife was in _my_ hand, I saw it with _my_ Eyes! I'm not the hero of the underground, especially when I couldn't save one soul. _One._ And then I couldn't save the rest of you…" You were crying again.

"Human, Undyne once told me something very important. She said true heroes don't always win. Just winning doesn't make you a hero. Being a hero means standing up and trying your best, even when you are the only one who can. It means standing up after everything throws you down and continuing to stand. She said that's what being a hero meant. You lost in the end, true, but you tried your hardest. You struggled until the end and you're still here. You picked up the pieces that weren't even yours and in the end we still see the sun, don't we? No matter how dark it got, how hard it was, we all still saw the sun in the end."

"Pap…Papyrus…" He pulled you closer, and you buried your head in his scarf. You couldn't form a single word even if your life depended on it.

"Everyday is like that, human. Sometimes it gets hard and you don't want to be here anymore… but at the end of it all the sun still rises. You still have happy times, do you not? And people who care about you? Even after all that's happened… we still care about you. I don't know if it's just a monster thing, but we still care. I still care, human…" Papyrus stopped, his voice shaking. You wrapped your arms around him as tears he must have been hiding slid down his cheekbones.

You Found it hard to believe. That the sweet, innocent Papyrus had this in him. It would seem like he never felt pain, he seemed always happy. But maybe… maybe he was just as secretive as his brother. The thought broke your heart.

"Papyrus… thank you… thank you for everything…" You whisper. You weren't close to forgiving yourself yet.

But you knew you would get there with him helping you.

"Human… I want to tell you something now… if you are okay with that?"

You had never heard Papyrus sound so sober, but you had been seeing Papyrus do things you never seen him do all night.

"Sure. It's okay."

"well… you know how I just said Undyne told me true heroes fight till the end? Well… I thought about that… I thought about that for a long time. But something always got me… I didn't want to fight. I don't want to hurt anybody. Because everyone can be a good person. Everyone is a good person, until a bad thing happens to them and then they are bad. But sometimes the only solution seems to be fighting… and that bothers me. I don't want to fight wars, I want to help people find peace and find themselves. And that's why… I heard what Undyne said to you… about not letting me into the Royal guard. I knew it was coming, but it hurt anyways. I just want to help, but I want to help in my way. It hurts sometimes and I feel like I can't do it. Like I don't belong in this world. And it hurts so that I can't sleep sometimes… I believe I was awake due to this when you text two weeks ago."

You stared at the wall in front of you in shock.

Papyrus knew?

You felt a fresh hurt in your chest, a heaviness. He knew… he had his dreams crushed right then and there. Papyrus, innocent Papyrus, stayed awake at night because he didn't fit in this world. Because sometimes things can't be solved by being nice, and that's all Papyrus could ever do.

You sighed, wishing the guilt would leave for the hundredth time that night.

"Papyrus… I never knew… I'm sorry… but… maybe being a hero isn't just about fighting. Maybe it's about choosing not to fight. That in itself is a fight, it's hard to not pull that trigger or swing that knife. It takes a certain strength not to do that. People call it weakness, but I think it's strength. Undyne said heroes fight until the end… well, maybe true heroes _don't_ fight. Even if it kills them, they try Their hardest to find another way even though this world says there isn't a point." You swallow.

"I remember… when I was about to kill you… you didn't attack me. You stood there and spared me. You refused to fight and tried to save me… even after your skull was lying in the snow, you said you believed in me… even after all I had done, you still believed I could do better, and you died trying to save the lives of those I'd encounter after you. You gave your life in a hope that no one else would fight… I think that proves you're a real hero, Pappy."

Papyrus's was completely still for a few moments. Then a sob escaped him.

But his mouth turned up in a smile.

"Do you… do you really think that human? That I'm a hero?"

"Yes. Yes I do." Your voice was stronger than it had been all night, stronger than it had been in weeks.

Papyrus let out a half laugh, half sob and pulled you even closer. You noticed that even though he was a skeleton, there was still warmth coming from his body. It wasn't as warm as a human per say, but it was still warm. It was the kind of warmth that warmed you to the bone. Quite ironic, really.

You had completely calmed down now. Your head still hurt a little and your throat was sore, but we were _okay._

You both were.

"H-human?" Papyrus broke the silence. "You… had a nightmare, right? How long have they been happening?"

A part of you wanted to lie, but that wouldn't be fair after you both practically spilled your souls to each other.

"I used to have them a lot… then they stopped for a while… they just started again just a week and a half ago."

"So that's why you were tired, human. I wish you had told me then. It is not healthy to keep something like that to yourself."

"And you should be talking?" You joked, flicking his skull. Papyrus pushed your hand away with a laugh.

"Yes, I know, but in all seriousness, what if you did something stupid? Or got sick? Sans used to have nightmares too."

You pulled back slightly so you could look him in the face.

"what?"

"He hid it well for a long time. He had nightmares often though, and it wasn't until he collapsed I found out. After that I forced him to get some help, and the problem was resolved… for the most part. He hates revealing his feelings to others, even me. He's a big numbskull."

"yeah, Sans is a numbskull." You echo.

Sans had the same problem as you? You never thought about that, but… you had always known Sans hid a lot from everyone. It made sense that he would have nightmares and hide them. About what, you didn't know. And if the problem was resolved, it wasn't your place to find out.

Still, a part of your heart ached because you couldn't help your friend.

Papyrus moved his hand to your shoulder, and he looked slightly awkward.

"So, uh, human…. What do you want to do now? I mean, you may not want to go to sleep yet, but you do look tired…"

You reach forward and wrap your amps around him again.

"I don't want you to go anywhere!" You blurt out.

"Nyeh? Okay, okay human, I didn't mean I was going to up and leave! The great Papyrus would never leave his human!"

You froze.

"wait… your human?"

Papyrus grew tense. You had to suppress laughter. If you didn't know Better, you could have sworn his cheekbones had a slight red tint to them.

"uhhhhhh…. YEAH! I did find you first, did I not? Therefore you are my human!"

Well, Toriel and Sans were the first ones to find you (if Flowey isn't counted.) But you weren't ruining his fun.

You reach up and playfully poke Papyrus between the eyes (sockets).

"If you say so, silly bones."

His face lit up almost comically.

"I am not a silly bones! That is my brother!"

"no, you are definitely a silly bones."

You lightly brush under Papyrus's jaw bone with your fingers- the place where you knew Papyrus was extra ticklish. The skeleton yelped and jumped so hard he rolled off the couch, bringing you with him. You both laughed on the floor, letting the previous tension slip away.

This felt good.

You were happy your were still here, that you still had friends who cared deeply for you.

You snuggled against Papyrus, and giggle at his slight gasp. He was getting so flustered for no reason!

Your laughing ceased, and you two were left staring at each other's faces.

You could see it now. You could see past that happy mask.

Papyrus hurt, just like everyone else.

"Pappy?"

"Yes, human?"

"I need you to promise me one more thing. That whenever you are upset, or something like that, you'll come to me? I won't tell anyone if you don't want me too… I just don't want you to feel alone…" You were still guilty for not noticing this sooner. Papyrus didn't feel like he belonged… how absurd was that, you thought.

You couldn't think of any world without him.

Papyrus's eyes widened momentarily, then he relaxed with a sigh.

"O-okay human, but… you must promise the same thing to me, too. Whenever you have a nightmare, you can come to me so the great Papyrus can fend it off!"

"I will, Pappy."

"and… always remember, human. That we will always care. About _you,_ not the person who did those horrible things. Even if one day, somehow… we aren't here to say it. You will always be important to us, human. So please don't hide your pain thinking it's for our sakes."

You closed your eyes.

"Yeah. I would say the same to you guys, too."

You didn't regret falling.

Perhaps falling was the best thing that could have happened. Maybe everyone needed to fall sometimes, just to find those special people.

Maybe.

You roll over and sit up, stretching. You were tired, that much was certain. Your eyes were heavy now. You wanted to sleep for a month.

But could you?

Papyrus seemed to read your mind.

"ummm… human? You look tired… I don't now how to keep nightmares away, but staying awake won't help, I'm sure! Maybe… you can come to my room so that I can keep an eye on you? You can have my race car bed!"

You put your hands up.

"No, no! I couldn't do that! You love that thing!"

"You are more important to me then a bed, human."

You felt yourself cheeks warm a little and looked down.

"I don't want to make you sleep on the floor… wait, we can share? Right?" You look up, feeling a little excitement.

Papyrus started sweating. "uhhh, I… don't… know…" Somehow, cheekbones could blush. Weird.

You snickered at how cute he looked and then leaned in, making the biggest puppy eyes you could muster.

"Pretty please? What's the big deal? You _did_ say I am your human, did you not?"

Papyrus flinched a little at that.

"nyeeeh… alright human, you may have this little bone. BUT!"

You let out a surprise shriek as Papyrus scooped you up abruptly.

"PAPYRUS STILL WINS, NYEH HEH HEH!"

You laugh as Papyrus carries you up the stairs. His scarf went into your face, so you couldn't see.

It smelled good, like pine trees. Like Snowdin forest.

You were dropped on his mattress, and it set you bouncing back up from the impact.

"Hold on human, I'll be right back!"

Papyrus dashed away before you could say another word.

You check over the healing cut on your finger while you waited. You experimentally poke it, then pull away when it started throbbing.

Dummy.

The door suddenly slammed open, and Papyrus ran in with a wad of blankets so large that you couldn't see his face.

"Is this enough blankets?" Papyrus asked, the blankets muffling his words.

You snort, covering your mouth.

"Yes, Pappy. Actually, it looks like _too_ much."

"You can never have too many blankets, Nyeh heh heh! Wise words from the great Papyrus!"

The tall skeleton walked over and threw the wad of blankets on you, trapping you under a ball of warmth. Your struggling caused the ball to unfold, tangling you in it. You laugh and try to untangle yourself as Papyrus sat down on the other side, making it creak.

Eventually, you found your way out of blanket hell, gasping in a breath of fresh air. Papyrus was laying down now with his hands behind his head. The lights were off.

"I must remember to do that to every human I meet. It seems to work well as a trap."

You stick your tongue out at him and throw part of the heap at him. He let out an indignant "Nyeh!" and tried to push the blankets off himself. You chuckled as they got caught under him and he got tangled too.

You made yourself comfortable, which was easy with all the blankets. Seriously, who needed this many blankets anyways? You did find one of Sans's socks in them, however. You throw it out of the bed before Papyrus noticed.

Papyrus threw a blanket off the bed (it had a red stain on it that was undoubted ketchup from the worlds one and only boney wonder) then laid down. His cheekbones glowed a little.

This brought you to your own feelings. That warm feeling was in your chest again.

You liked being close to him. It filled a gap no one else did.

You blushed slightly.

So that's why Sans was throwing you funny looks.

Leave it to the judge to figure things out before you did.

He was definitely a boney wonder.

You brought a blanket up to your head to hide your face. You could hear Papyrus yawn.

"If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask me. Even if you need to wake me up."

You pulled the blanket back down. You couldn't wake him up, could you?

You couldn't worry him any more either, so you just nod.

You stare at him for a few heartbeats before smiling mischievously and moving across the bed, wrapping your arms around him. You rest your head on his chest.

"Nyeh? What….."

"Goodnight Papyrus." You giggle. You look up just to see the glowing red on his cheekbones.

It was the cutest thing in the world. It even beat the annoying dog sleeping.

Papyrus then went limp, giving in and wrapping his arms around you. You smile and snuggle closer happily.

"Goodnight human."

The sun would rise again. It always did.

And Papyrus was here to make sure you remembered that.

* * *

 **Ugh, I feel like this is really bad :/ oh well. It's the longest one shot I've written, I think. Well, maybe I'll make another chapter if I have enough motivation. I dunno.**

 **I have never really written hurt/comfort or reader insert stuff, so I wasn't sure how to go about it. I have read some very good reader insert stories (for example: Love yourself by Starlight1395. It takes on the full hurt/comfort theme and both my friend and I adore it, I suggest you check it out. There may even be some unintended inspiration, lol)**

 **I hope I did a decent enough job. I had trouble with the ending. And I am pretty sure I screwed up any emotion that was supposed to come out of this.**

 **My friend originally wanted a Sans story, buuuuuuuut even though Sans is my favorite character, there is enough stories about him. So I decided to give his brother some spotlight instead. Papyrus is probably way OOC, but then again we've never seen him in this situation in the game, so…. He's gotta be a little OOC. That's just how it works, and it's just open to the imagination what he would do in this situation.**

 **Anyways, It is currently 2:05 am, so I should probably stop typing lol. If you enjoyed, a review is appreciated. It helps to let me know people actually give a damn!**

 **I hope you all have a wonderful day/night. I thank you deeply for Reading!**

" _ **True heroes don't have to fight."**_ **-Vocal cover of Battle Against A True Hero.**


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